New Simeiz

Crimea. Simeiz. Main view. Postcard, around 1910s.

Finally after Russian-Turk war of 1768-1774 Crimea
joined Russia in 1783 and Queen Ekaterina II presented
the lands around Simeiz to her most loyal and favourite
nobles. Sea resort Simeiz was established in 1828 by
Count I.A.Maltsov. When he was here with his friend,
famous Russian writer A.S.Griboedov, they both were
very much impressed by the seaside near legendary rock
Diva and decided to have a bath there. While bathing,
Maltsov lost his wedding ring, which could not be found
inspite of all searches. Griboedov gave Maltsov the idea
to buy this part of seaside, so that if the ring was never
found, it would still belong to owner of the place.
Maltsov liked the idea and immediately started to turn it
into reality. Three generations later Maltsov’s family, which
had owned all the land in Simeiz, turned it into fashionable
sea resort of European level. In 1913 Simeiz had won first
place at the International Contest of Resorts – as the most
beautiful and the greenest place for rest.

Crimea. New Simeiz. Avenue
postcard, around 1910

Mount Koshka (Crimean Tatar: Qos qaya)
The original name in the Crimean Tatar language means
“double rock”, while the Russian name means “cat” in
Russian, as the shape of the mountain resembles a sitting
cat. The height is 254 metres. At Koshka mountain is
situated Simeiz observatory at the level of 360m above
sea level at southern mountainside of the Crimean mountains.
Simeiz observatory organized by an amateur astronomer
and later Honored member of the Academy of Science,
M. Maltsov In 1900 he built a tower for refractor at his land
plot near Simeiz. In 1906 – a tower with dome for Zeiss double
astrograph.Both towers are preserved and being used nowadays.

Winter in Simeiz.Postcard, 1910-1915

New Simeiz. Maltsov AvenuePostcard, around 1910s

It was first and main street of New Simeiz, in left part was
created little botanic garden with places for sport and way
to sea shore.

It is located by the southern slopes of the main range of
Crimean Mountains at the base of Mount Koshka, 18 kilometers
(12 miles) west from Yalta. The population has risen from
622 in 1926 (431 Crimean Tatars, 119 Russians, 31 Greeks,
25 Ukrainians) to 3,501 in 2001.

There are prehistoric dolmens and fortifications nearby;
in the Middle Ages the area was under the control of the
Byzantine Empire,which built a fortified monastery in the
vicinity (and may have given the town its name). As the
Byzantine power weakened, the area fell under the control
of Genoa, which in its turn gave way to the Ottoman Empire;
under the Ottomans the village was ruled from Mangup.
By 1778, with the departure of the Christian population,
the village was depopulated. In 1828 Simeiz came into the
ownership of Ivan Akimovich Maltsov, who planted grapevines
and fruit orchards; at the start of the 20th century his
descendants created a resort, Novy Simeiz, which quickly
became one of the most prestigious resorts in the Crimea.
This period saw the construction of a park and a number of
villas which remain to this day. In 1912 Nicholas II visited
with his family. After the October Revolution, Simeiz was
nationalized and public sanatoriums were created, mainly
specializing in tuberculosis. In 1927 Simeiz was visited by
around 10,000 people. During World War II the Germans
occupied Simeiz, causing much death and destruction; the
town was liberated by the Red Army on April 16, 1944. On
May 18 of that year the local Crimean Tatars were exiled to
Central Asia. After the war, the resort experienced a rebirth,
and the ruins were gone by 1955. Since the end of the Soviet
Union, however, it has seriously deteriorated.